Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Once again, summertime is rolling around, and once again I would love to wear my cute sleeveless tops (and I don’t care if my upper arms are flabby — deal with it, people!).

But once again, restaurants will be running their A/C at meat-locker levels. Can you suggest layers I can put on top that are still summery looking? Do I have to keep out my winter cashmere sweaters?

--Barb B.

And this…

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I’m looking for an age-appropriate gift for my mom whose birthday is coming up. She’s so hard to buy for. Any clothing suggestions? She likes any clothes she can get her hands around; she’s very “claspy.” And she likes stretchy fabrics. I have absolutely no good ideas and it would be so great to surprise her with a gift she can wrap herself in and will truly love — especially from her adult son with not a clue about women’s clothes.

--Pete W.

Dear Barb and Pete: Two seemingly unrelated questions with one easy solution. For Mom, who is hard to buy gifts for, and Barb, who is always freezing in the summer because of brutal air conditioning.

You both will love an item I splurged on for myself that is versatile, feels luxurious and comes in 75 colors. 75! Including 24 neutrals — variations on white, gray, beige and brown. And 17 different shades of blue. It is the Claudia Nickhole Ladies’ Cashmere Poncho Wrap by Alashan. It’s also called a “dress topper” (alashancashmere.com, $129 and up; amazon.com, $129).

The hard-to-define item is a generous length of luxurious, cozy, stretchy, soft, lightweight, highly packable for travel, 100% cashmere, and advertised as “better than a shawl.” I agree. Think of it as a shawl with a hole you stick your head through so it won’t require you to clutch it from falling off your shoulders/arms.

I love mine and I think it is the answer to both of you and it doesn’t have armholes to struggle with, yet covers arms nicely. Also, it isn’t, bulky or fitted, and, at 20 inches length in front (it hits at the waist) and 25 inches in the back, doesn’t swallow the wearer however she twists it around for different styling.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I love soft pants, but when I say soft, I mean including the waistband -- as in, no elastic waists to constrict me all day. I also love linen in summer. Can you suggest loose-fitting linen pants with an actual waistband that I can buy a little loose and be super comfy in the belly department?

--Comfort First!

Dear C.F.: I had no idea that it would be so difficult to locate linen pants without an elastic waist!

After hours of searching on the Internet for “linen women’s pants no elastic” with no luck, I realized that if I didn’t call them pants but “linen trousers with zipper, no elastic” I’d get closer to what you want. Three times I thought I found a winner and three times — squinting closely at the photos — I saw that what appeared to be a “real waistband” was actually a fraud, with elastic at the back. And all the drawstring offerings I found — dozens of them -- also had elastic waists.

Actually, I own two pairs of linen pants that fit your specifications. I bought them at thrift stores years back, so you could try searching thrifts in your neighborhood.

Readers: I need your help to find what C.T. wants. I, sadly, have failed miserably.

Angelic Readers

Jacki N. writes, “ Regarding your recent column on a tool for removing a Champagne cork, nothing beats an old fashioned nut cracker.”

Anne C. offers this suggestion for removing a stubborn cork from a bottle of Champagne: “Years ago I found the best way to break into a Champagne bottle…use a crab cracker as a pliers! The curves and teeth hold the cork perfectly and all you have to do is turn the bottle below while holding the cracker steady. Another hack I just learned is that a long-handled metal spoon inserted into an open bottle of bubbly will keep the bubbles for days (!!), much longer than the champagne cork. My only question is why would you have leftover bubbly?”

Nancy N.’s solution: “I have always struggled with Champagne corks. I found this item at an estate sale a couple years ago and it is the BEST thing ever. It's called The Champagne Opener (clever, huh?) and it's still available at www.champagneproducts.com. It's $18.95 and will change your life -- really!”

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